The Fall
by jazzywazzy08
Summary: Bonnie Bennett's recent marriage to Stefan Salvatore is brought down by the manipulations of Elena Gilbert. A loose retelling of Othello by Shakespeare.


**Title:** The Fall

**Rating: **T

**Genre:** AU/AH

**Pairing(s): **Bonnie/Stefan

**Summary: **Bonnie Bennett's recent marriage to Stefan Salvatore is brought down by the manipulations of Elena Gilbert. A loose retelling of Othello by Shakespeare.

**Warnings:** Language, Character Death, Violence, etc.

**Stefonnie Appreciation Week Theme:** Day Six (Movies, Theater, & Musicals)

_**Characters will appear in some form as followed:**_

Othello || Bonnie Bennett

Desdemona || Stefan Salvatore

Iago ||Elena Gilbert

Emilia || Damon Salvatore

Cassio || Caroline Forbes

Bianca || Matt Donovan

Roderigo || Rebekah Mikaelson

Barbantio|| Giuseppe Salvatore

_**Author's Note: So this is my next contribution to Stefonnie week. It is a day late but I hope that its worth the wait. This is a loose retelling of Shakespeare's Othello. It has been a while since I have seen any adaption of this but I think I have the main plot down. Not sure if I did it justice but I hope you all enjoy it anyway. I didn't really have time to edit because I have to work today but here it is. Thanks for reading! Enjoy! **_

**The Fall **

"I am not what I am._" __William Shakespeare, __Othello_

_**Venice, Italy, 1570**_

It begins with a wedding that was never supposed to take place. Or perhaps it was with a friendship that should have never occurred. It depends on when you ask her. It depends on the time of day. On the mood that she is in. On what she is willing to tell you. On whether you are willing to believe what has left her lips. Whatever the case Elena Gilbert hates the moor witch that saved the kingdom from the invasion of werewolves.

It was one thing when the people of Venice had elevated the witch over the average citizens due to her powers, when she was expected to have been prosecuted for them. Power, was something that was understandable to respect. And the status that the moor had achieved through said power could have been forgiven if the witch had used her status to elevate someone worthwhile.

It would have made sense if the moor had befriended Elena, herself. If she had taken her into her society and inner circles. If she had walked arm and arm with her at parties and social functions. If she had called her sister and sought her advice in all things. The moor knew nothing of the Venetian people, many of whom who saw the poor girl as an exotic pet and nothing more. So who better to introduce her to the city and teach her the ways in which she should behave, now that she would have to enter into society not as a soldier in the war on the cursed men who had become wolves that were terrorizing their citizens, but as a lady who had achieved some standing through what Elena considered to be dumb luck and nothing more.

Elena was after all, one who had earned respect in her own right. She was the daughter of the captain of the military's ensign. A position that had always been respected before some moor that was proficient in witchcraft had invaded the city. She was the wife of the senator, Giuseppe Salvatore's eldest son, which had elevated her standing even further. And yet….and yet the moor saw fit to lay her friendship and her affections on the much less worthy Caroline Forbes.

Perhaps Caroline's father had a higher rank in the military than Elena's but everyone knew of his secret inclinations, his desires that kept him from his wife's bed, and that was enough to override his rank as lieutenant, a position he had only received because of an electoral vote. Then there was the fact that Caroline spent her nights in the bed of a male prostitute. Teasing her little rent boy, with money to take care of the house and the sister that his reckless mother had abandon on the pursuit of adventure. But this was the woman the moor saw fit to aid her in her introduction into Venetian society.

But the latest infraction on Elena was something that she could not forgive. The moor had wed her brother-in-law, Stefan Salvatore. The wedding had happened in secret and Giuseppe was still unaware of the matter. The only reason that Elena herself knew was because Stefan had sought out his brother's counsel on the matter and her foolish husband had told her immediately. The moor was now for all intents and purposes her sister by law and still Elena was ignored. And she knew that were she to play her cards right the moor could use her position as the wife of the senator's favored son to ingratiate herself with the people who had yet to truly accept her. It would matter not that Elena had the eldest, she would be a shadow in the face of Stefan's moor just because of Giuseppe's love for Stefan, and even more so as the moor had just recently saved the city.

Elena sat in her chambers, letting her rage fester. Once the seed had been planted, it grew within her mind like a tree. The moor thought herself better than she and Elena would show her that she was mistaken.

There was a knock on the door alerting Elena that she was no longer alone. She looked up and watched as her servant bid, Rebekah Mikaelson to enter her room. Rebekah was a silly girl with a flair for the dramatic. She was the daughter of the duke and almost but not quite as foolish as Elena's husband. Her brother, Niklaus, was good friends with Stefan and during the time that Stefan had spent with her family, Rebekah had fallen in love with him. Elena did not take her affections seriously as the girl fell in love as many times as the weather changed and she supposed that marrying the moor meant that Stefan hadn't taken her affections very seriously either.

Rebekah glared at Elena when she saw her but she waited for the servant to leave before she went on her tirade. "How could you not tell me that Stefan married that….that moor," she spat, "Do you have any idea the embarrassment and pain that it has caused me?"

Elena wanted to roll her eyes but she kept her face sweet and placating. She could not make use of the girl if she upset her. "I was in the dark myself, my dear," she said, sweetly, "The wedding occurred in secret. I would not have known were it not for my husband."

"Some secret," Rebekah laughed, "They whole of Venice is whispering about it. And everyone knowing the way I have thrown myself at him must think that I am a fool. To be passed over for the sake of some dirty moor. It would be one thing if I had lost him to a lady of some standing."

"Who said that you have lost him?" Elena asked, coyly, "Think about it Rebekah. The moor may have saved the city but she has not yet earned everyone's favor. She is a stranger, a lesser, an outcast. She could be taken down rather easily. My father in law does not yet know of the marriage. All that we have to do is go to him and tell him ourselves. Plant the idea that the moor used some sort of dark magic to ensnare his most treasured son and he will be up in arms. The witch will be apprehended before she can even defend herself. And even if she manages a few words in her own defense, who would believe over me, or the daughter of the duke for that matter?"

Elena smiled as Rebekah's face softened and a smirk grew where her frown had been. The girl was playing right into her hands. If she was to lie on the moor it would be best if she had another witness to enforce her story and now she had just that.

**:::**

Bonnie Salvatore, nee Bennett, had only been married a few hours and already her doubts and insecurities had surfaced. Ever since the duke, Mikael, had sought her out through his wife's past connections and dealings with her family, in an effort to gain her assistance with the growing number of werewolves in their city, Bonnie had felt out of place among the Venetian people.

While the citizens of Venice were grateful for her help, they did not accept her as one of their own. They respected her power but she was an outsider, the only one of her kind within the city limits. She did not understand their society and their customs, and they did not understand hers. She missed her home, but there was very little she had to go back to. Her mother had abandon her when she was young, her grandmother was dead, and her father was away fighting the war to keep her homeland from being occupied. She was virtually alone in the world, and even the Venetian people kept her isolated until they saw fit to bring her out during certain parties and social functions where they would parade her about as the city's savior.

The only bit of friendships she had found in the city was in Caroline Forbes. The blonde was almost as much of an outcast as Bonnie within Venetian society as Bonnie was. She had a father who was a high ranking military official and yet he was also rather openly involved with a male lover. While the practice was not a strange one, it was not an open one within society, particular when the male had a wife. Caroline herself was in a relationship of sorts with a poor rent boy and many found the entire matter to be laughable. But Caroline was a person that lived life without any regard to what other people thought of her and that was why Bonnie enjoyed her company so, because Bonnie envied that quality about her. She herself could never stop thinking about what other's thought of her.

It was through Caroline that Bonnie had met Stefan. She had never known anyone so kind and so good. Even with her doubts and her slightly cynical nature she had fallen in love with him rather quickly. He was so respected in Venetian society because of his father and because of his poise and intelligence that she had not expected him to return her feelings but he had. But even after he had asked her to marry him, it had still all been unbelievable. That was the reason that even as his wife she still remained insecure.

It did not help that everything had had to be done in secret. She understood because of how his father was and her position in society being lower than his even after her own heroics. But that only seemed to prove what she felt in her mind that she was no good enough for him.

"_Come sei bella_," Bonnie heard the words whispered into her ear before she felt arms wrap around her from behind.

"You don't have to whisper pretty words into my ear anymore," she replied, "You've trapped me already. I am your wife now."

"All the more reason for me to whisper them," Stefan replied, kissing the top of her head. He smiled as she leaned back into him. "Something is bothering you," he said, "What is it?"

"Nothing," Bonnie said, shaking her head.

"It is something," Stefan said, sounding unconvinced, "I know you too well for you to lie. Tell me, _il mio amore_."

He loosened his grip on her slightly, as she turned in his arms. Her greens eyes met his as she looked up at him. "What if your family doesn't accept me?" Bonnie asked, "Your father is important. Surely he had ideas about a match for you, you are his favored son after all. I mean….it is not as if you had a shortage of Venetian ladies to choose from. The duke's own daughter had designs toward you."

"And still I chose you," Stefan said, "There is and will never be anyone else. My family will love you, just as I do."

As he leaned down to kiss her, Bonnie allowed herself to be kissed. She allowed herself to be taken in by him, to trust him. It was easy now that they were alone. But once they came into society as a married couple she knew that others would judge them. Knew that the people of Venice would look at the newest addition to the Salvatore family and be unsure of what to make of it or worse they would find her wanting.

Her thoughts left her as she kissed her husband, as she brought her arms up to wrap around him. She felt that being with him made it worth it, and wished that her mind would not continuously get the best of her.

There was a knock on the door to Stefan's chamber's causing the two to pull a part. The door was opened a moment later and Stefan moved to shield her as his father walked into the room.

Giuseppe surveyed the situation and frowned. "So it's true then," he said, "You have taken up with Miss Bennett."

Stefan stood up to his full height and cleared his throat before he spoke. "I have not merely taken up with her, father," Stefan said, "Nor is she Miss Bennett any longer. She is Mrs. Salvatore and she is my wife."

"Has the marriage been consummated?" Giuseppe demanded.

"Not yet," Stefan said, "But it will be." Stefan could see the growing disappointment in his father's eyes. "I understand that I should have discussed the matter with you first but I wasn't sure that you would approve and I could not risk losing her. _Lei è la mia vita_."

Giuseppe made a scoffing sound. "And how long has she been your life," Giuseppe asked, "Can you even tell? Or has the witchcraft that she has been working on you kept you from keeping time."

Bonnie decided to intervene stepping out of Stefan's shadow. "If you would allow me to come to my own defense, sir," she said, her head held high in spite of her own uncertainty, "I have never used my powers on your son. And even if I had such designs the matter would be impossible. There are no such thing as love spells or spells that tamper with human emotions. They simply don't exist. The duty of my kind is to keep nature's balance, not to attempt to create spells that would allow us to seduce the sons of senators. Your son believes that I have charm enough, beauty enough, and wit enough to seduce him by my own merits and as he has taken me as a wife I am afraid I am forced to believe him, sir."

Stefan smiled when he saw Giuseppe's lips twitch into a half smirk. "You seem to have a way with words if nothing else, my dear," he said, "As you have so kindly managed to reveal to me what my son finds to be so appealing about you, please tell me what you see in my son. If Stefan's feelings are genuine as he says, him being my son allows me to believe him. But though I am grateful for your saving our city, I know very little about you or your home or your customs. So tell me how it is you came to love my son?"

Bonnie glanced up at Stefan who nodded at her in encouragement. She looked back at Giuseppe and spoke. "Upon meeting your son he was very curious about my life," Bonnie said, "In many ways my story is a tragic one. He sympathized with me and he found excitement in the stories of the battles I have fought with my powers. His very kind and very willing to learn of my people and my homeland. For my part, sir, I was so astonished to meet a man that would actually listen to a woman when she spoke I could not help but to fall in love with him, and as you have listened to me ramble up until now I can see that it is a family trait."

Stefan laughed, at the same time Giuseppe coughed, in an effort to hide his own laughter. Bonnie smiled up at him and gave her a wink. "Do you understand me now, father?" He asked, turning back to Giuseppe.

The elder Salvatore nodded. "I do believe that I do," he said.

**:::**

A feast was given in honor of the new marriage. Bonnie stayed close to Stefan and Caroline through most of it in the beginning. But the others left her side to mingle and Elena found herself moving toward the moor.

Their accusing the witch of using witchcraft on his son had not worked on Giuseppe and so she was attempting another tactic. Rebekah was all for it, helping her on her end as the blonde went to seek out Caroline who had already drunken far too much.

Elena sidled up to Bonnie and smiled as the witch turned to her from where she had been watching Stefan talking to his brother and his friends. "I thought that I would introduce myself now that we have become sisters," Elena said, "I am Elena. Damon's wife."

"I know who you are," Bonnie said, "I have for some time now. It is nice to finally meet you properly."

Elena frowned, wondering if the moor had known of her, why she had not seen fit to acknowledge her before. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

Bonnie nodded. "Oh yes," she said, "I was not expecting such a celebration. We had thought we would get the opposite reaction once our marriage was discovered."

"I am happy to see that our people are so accepting of you," Elena said, "Well most of them in any case."

"I am used to being made to feel the outsider," Bonnie said, "As long as Stefan is happy then I am happy." It was not necessarily the truth. It got to her that some of the people of Venice would not see her as a person and never would.

"But to think even the one that you called friend has said such things about your marriage," Elena sighed.

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked.

"Why Caroline of course," Elena said, "She is telling anyone who would hear it that she thought that Stefan would have found a more suitable match. I expected no less of her considering the family that she comes from and the things she gets up to."

Bonnie shook her head. "Caroline wouldn't say anything like that," she said, "We're friends and she's the one that introduced Stefan and I in the first place."

Elena shrugged. "Perhaps I had heard wrong," she said.

She signaled to Rebekah and the blonde walked through the crowd toward them, a drunken Caroline beside her.

"I do wonder at Stefan's choice of bride," Rebekah said, as the waked pass Elena and Bonnie, "I had thought that he would want a more suitable match."

Caroline laughed and Bonnie was sure that she would come to her defense even if he friend hadn't yet seen her but the next words that came for Caroline's lips told Bonnie otherwise. "I too thought that he would marry a nice Venetian young maiden," Caroline said, "One that he could stroll about with in society without fear of embarrassing his dear old father-" Caroline stopped speaking as she saw Bonnie, her mouth open as she shook her head.

"It's nice to know what you really think of me Caroline," Bonnie said, looking down at her feet.

"Bonnie," Caroline protested, "I didn't mean it that way."

But Bonnie wasn't listening. She was too busy stewing the fact that one of the people that she trusted most had turned out to be just like everyone else. Even Caroline who had been rejected by society because of her antics saw herself as better than Bonnie. And in Venice she was.

Bonnie turned to walk away ignoring when Caroline called after her. She didn't see both Elena and Rebekah smiling as she departed.

**:::**

Stefan knelt down in front on the chair that his wife occupied in their now shared bedroom, in front of the fireplace. He placed his hands on her knees, trying to get her to look at him but her head remained down.

"Bonnie," he said softly, "Look at me, please."

Reluctantly Bonnie lifted her head and met his eyes. "If people keep telling me that I'm not good enough for you," she sighed, "I might start to actually believe them."

"Don't," Stefan said, seriously, shaking his head, "This place and these people aren't good enough for you." He placed his hands over the ones that she had folded in her lap. "And as for Caroline," he said, "I'm sure that it was all just a misunderstanding."

Bonnie ran a hand over her face and looked away from him. "It just told me what I already knew," she said, "We couldn't have one night as a married couple where we could just be happy. Not even one night Stefan. Not without me being reminded that I don't belong here."

"_Senza di te non posso più vivere,"_ he whispered, "You belong wherever I am."

Bonnie allowed herself to smile. "I know that," she said, "I feel that. I have never loved anyone as much I as love you. You are the only family I have left. The only thing that matters."

"Then believe me when I say that it will get better," he said.

Bonnie leaned forward and kissed his lips, lingering as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I believe you," she said.

**:::**

Elena went to Caroline the very next day. While she hated being in the girl's company, she knew that she would need to put the rest of her plans in motion. She smiled at the girl offering words of comfort as she cried.

"I didn't mean it the way it sounded," Caroline said, "I had drunk far too much. I would never say that Bonnie wasn't good enough for Stefan. She is so sweet, and kind and loyal. The whole room lights up when she smiles."

Elena nodded. "She is of the good sort," she said, "All beauty and charm. I have been a little bewitched by her myself."

Caroline smiled. "So you understand that I would never speak a word against her," Caroline said, "She is one of the few people that accepts me as I am. I was making fun of Stefan more than anything else. You know how very obedient he is. He would jump off a cliff in Giuseppe told him that it was his duty as a son to do so. I knew that he loved Bonnie even before he did." She wiped the tears from her face before she continued. "But I was certain that he would ignore his feelings and fall in line," Caroline said, "That's what I meant when I said that I expected him to marry a nice 'acceptable' Venetian woman. I was referring to how sure I was that he would allow his father to pick his bride just as he always allowed his father to make his own choice."

Elena smiled, patting the girl's hand comfortingly. "Of course," she said, "I understand completely. But you must understand how easily your words could have been taken out of context."

"I do," Caroline sighed, "And now I am so ashamed that I dare not go near Bonnie, not even to apologize as I don't deserve her forgiveness."

That was the opening that Elena had been looking for. "Perhaps," she suggested, her tone persuasive, "You should go to Stefan instead. The two of you have always been so close. He loves you like a sister and he knows how much Bonnie's friendship means to you and how much yours means to her. He cares so deeply for you both and he likely cannot stand to see you at odds with each other. "

Caroline nodded. "You're right," she agreed, "Stefan is the answer. He will understand my misstep and if anyone could convince Bonnie to forgive me it would be him. I miss her so much already."

"Then you must go to him quickly," Elena said, "Today even."

As Caroline agreed Elena wanted to laugh at how easy it was to manipulate those around her.

**:::**

Bonnie was surprised when Elena came into the chambers that she shared with Stefan and invited to go for a walk with her in the gardens. However, as she was still upset about what had happened with Caroline at the feast, she went, hoping that Elena would give her some insight on the parties involved as she had known both Caroline and Stefan much longer than she.

"Stefan thinks that perhaps I have taken what Caroline said out of context," Bonnie said, "He thinks that I have misunderstood her."

Elena looped her arm through Bonnie's and moved closer to her as they walked. "Stefan has always been far too trusting for his own good," she said, "And he and Caroline have always been _close_."

Bonnie frowned as she noted the emphasis that Elena put on the last word. "What do you mean by that?" She asked.

Elena looked away and off to the side, purposefully. "I am not sure that I should say," she said, "My suspicions could so easily be wrong and the last think that I would want is to cause you and Stefan problems."

"Please tell me," Bonnie begged.

Elena got some satisfaction from the fact that she finally had the witch's attention. That she was finally her sole focus, but the witch had come to her too late. Befriended her too late. She should have been before Caroline, she should have been the one she chose. Now Elena hated her, hated her more than she had ever hated anyone and she would dismantle the moor's life because of it.

"Before your marriage," Elena said, "I had thought that Caroline had some designs toward Stefan and now her behavior seems to have confirmed my suspicions. Why else would she go from being your closest friend to speaking of you in such degrading terms? And I have seen them together. Huddled in corners, whispering to each other. I even spoke to Damon who knows Stefan more than anyone and he was surprised that it wasn't Caroline he chose. He says he thinks that Stefan married you for your power. The city's savior married to the senator's son, even if you are form a strange land the move is a good one politically speaking."

Bonnie shook her head. "That cannot be right," she said, as they continued to walk, "Stefan loves me. He….said that I was his life."

"All Venetian men are charmers," Elena said, "I am just sorry to see someone as strong and powerful as you be reduced to being someone's prey."

Bonnie dropped Elena's arm and stepped away from her. "I will not allow you to speak of my husband or of my marriage in such away," she said, "You should not talk so casually of things that you know nothing about."

Elena wasn't disheartened as she had expected for Bonnie to react in the manner. She looked at where they had stopped and smiled to herself before turning to Bonnie. "Isn't that them," she said, "Just there?"

Caroline had taken her advice and had gone to Stefan to ask him to plead her case to Bonnie. They had come upon Stefan comforting a crying Caroline, his arms wrapped around her as he soothingly ran his hands up and down her back.

Elena cleared her throat and the two broke apart. "Bonnie, sweetheart," Stefan said, "I'm glad you're here. Caroline has just come by for a visit."

Bonnie's eyes were hard and suspicious as she looked at Caroline, Elena's words echoing in her head and insecurities coming to the surface. Caroline looked sadly at Bonnie before nodding and walking away.

As Stefan turned to watch her girl, Elena leaned in to whisper into Bonnie's ear so lowly that Stefan didn't hear her. "She even left when you drew near," she said, "Her guilt won't even allow her to look at you."

Bonnie stepped away from Elena as Stefan turned toward them. "What's wrong, Bonnie?" he asked, "You look out of sorts."

"I'm not feeling well," she muttered, "I have a headache."

Stefan frowned in concern. "Let's get you inside then, _cara mia_," he said. His frown deepened when she didn't smile at the term of endearment. Still he held out his hand for her to take.

Bonnie hesitated a moment before taking her husband's hand and allowing herself to be lead back toward their house. It was the hesitation that told Elena that her plan was working.

**:::**

Now that the seed had been planted Elena only needed to watch it grow. Bonnie began to tell her things in confidence that Elena readily used against her. She began to turn to her even more when she got word that her father had died during battle.

When she told Elena of a handkerchief that she had given Stefan that belonged to her parents, Elena had wasted no time before she talked Damon into getting the handkerchief form Stefan for her.

She gave him the excuse that she wanted to copy the design and give to Caroline as a gift. Which was what she did, but she kept the original one for herself. She continued to commiserate with Rebekah over how horrible Bonnie was in the meantime as well, making sure the girl's hate stayed fresh and on the surface, so that she could use it against her later.

On the day that she had orchestrated Bonnie to see the duplicate handkerchief in Caroline's possession she knew that Caroline had lost Bonnie's friendship completely and that one of the two people that Bonnie had left were no gone, and Elena had taken their place.

But Elena wanted more than that. She wanted Bonnie to suffer. She wanted to take everything. And so she planned to push her until Stefan was gone as well, and she was all that Bonnie had left.

**:::**

Stefan kissed his wife's fingertips, before bringing her palm to his lips as they lay in bed next to each other. "We have been married but a few days and I feel as though you are already tired of me," he said.

Bonnie stared up at the ceiling and frowned. "I will never be tired of you," she said, "But sometimes I wonder if you will be tired of me."

"Never," Stefan assured her, "_Sono tuo_. No one else's." Pulling her into his arms he kissed her bare shoulder. "Do you know how much it pains me to see how little you smile now? Just being near you makes me so happy and yet you seem so miserable. Is it your home? Do you miss it? We can find a way to visit."

Bonnie shook her head. "I have nothing to go home to," she said, "There is nothing left for me there and no acceptance to be found here."

"But you have acceptance," Stefan said, "With me. With my family. With Caroline."

Bonnie tried to scoot away from him, but he wouldn't allow it. "Don't say her name. Not here, not in our bed."

"Do you plan on staying angry at her forever?" Stefan asked. Bonnie didn't answer him. "She misspoke. She was drunk. It happens. She is your friend. Our friend and you love her. We both do."

Bonnie stiffened. Even the indirect reference to his affection for Caroline had Bonnie on edge. As much as she denied it to Elena, she doubted him. "Do you love me?" She asked, turning toward him.

"Of course I do," Stefan sighed, "I don't understand why you have to even ask me that."

Bonnie felt the tears stinging the corners of her eyes. She wanted to ask him about the handkerchief. The one that her mother had given to her father and the one that she had given to him. The one that represented their love. The one that she had seen in Caroline's hands. But she didn't. She was too weak. Too afraid of losing him. In her isolation he was all that she had left and she loved still, even knowing what she knew she loved him.

"Sometimes," Bonnie whispered, looking away from him again, "I don't believe you."

"I need you to believe me Bonnie," Stefan said, sadly, "_Sei tutto per me._ I don't want to lose you."

:::

Elena smiled as Bonnie entered her room. She knew that she would have to act fast. She was slipping and Damon was beginning to notice her obsession with Bonnie. She knew that if she was discovered that would mean the end.

Now that Caroline was even more of an outcast for having betrayed the wife of the senator's son, Elena was being seen as the kind and caring one. The citizens had grown to respect her even more because she appeared to be taking the moor under her wing and treating her with kind affection.

She had decided that she would push Bonnie to kill Stefan. That would the point at which the girl was truly broken. Then Elena would be the favored daughter in law, and she would be married to the senator's only son and she would be the most cherished member of society of her age.

She had grown to care for Bonnie, even love her, but she could not let it stop what she was after. Even if he motives seemed to keep changing and rearranging themselves in her had.

She watched as Bonnie moved across the room and sat down before her. "You look miserable," she frowned, though inside she was happy at the sight, "Perhaps I should not tell you what I have heard."

Bonnie shook her head. "I came because I wished to hear it," she said.

"I went to visit Caroline last night," she began, "She had been drinking. Something that did not surprise me. She must have thought me to be Stefan because when she saw me she moaned his name no ardently." Elena paused and cleared her throat. "She even in her drunken stupor," Elena said, "Kissed me hard upon the lips and said, 'Oh, Stefan, why must you be tied to the moor'. She slandered your name to the high heavens and said to whom she thought to be Stefan that she wished that you never existed, that you would die."

"She wishes me dead," Bonnie frowned, "And to think I called her a friend." The story seemed odd, but she hadn't slept and her paranoia and jealousy over Stefan had grown so much over the last few days.

"You saw her with your hander kerchief," Elena said, "What more proof do you need? We must act now. She convinced him to gift her with a token of your love. Who's to say now that the thought of your death is in her head, that she won't attempt to convince him of that as well?"

"What would you have me do?" Bonnie asked.

"We must strike them before they strike you?" Elena said, "It's you or them and I will not let them harm you. I pledge myself to you as a true friend here and now. I would do anything for you. Even this. Even kill."

"Has it really come to this?" Bonnie said, looking away, "My own husband. The very reason I exist."

"He betrayed you and betrays you still," Elena said, "What choice do you have? If you end him, I will end her. No one would blame you once they discover his sins. I would defend with my life if necessary."

"Without him I will have nothing," Bonnie protested, "I love him too much. I can't."

"You will have me," Elena insisted, taking Bonnie's hands in hers, "I am your own, forever." Bringing Bonnie's hands to her lips, Elena kissed the back of them.

**:::**

Stefan Salvatore smiled as he came upon his wife sleeping on a blanket in the garden. He had been looking for her all morning as he knew that she was grieving over the loss of her father.

He sat down next to her and began to run his fingers through her hair as she slept. "I wish I knew how to make this place a home for you," he said, "How to make you feel wanted. I thought I would be enough but I can see how unhappy you are."

It had been easier when they had first met and the city had still be talking of Bonnie's heroism. And Stefan had still had Caroline to balance things out and to keep Bonnie from wandering around in her own head.

Now his wife was becoming a stranger and he didn't know what to do about it. Her easy smile was gone and there was less love in her eyes when she looked at him and more suspicion though he didn't know what it was that she was suspicious of.

She questioned his love all the time now and he didn't know what else he could do to show her how devoted that he was to her. To get her to talk to him and tell him what was eating at her so.

Stefan watched as Bonnie began to stir. When her eyes opened and she looked at him the pain in her eyes was palpable. "_Ti amo_," he said, even as he felt his heart breaking at the sight of her suffering.

"I love you, too," she said, smiling up at him, almost in the same way that she used to.

He believed her, even if he was certain that he would not be always to save her form herself.

**:::**

Talking Rebekah into killing Caroline was an easier task than Elena imagined it would be. Rebekah had always been jealous of Caroline. Of the closeness that the blonde had to Stefan and of the admiration that Caroline received from Rebekah's brother.

All that Elena had to do was allude to Caroline being close to stealing Stefan away from Bonnie and Rebekah having another rival for his affections and that was enough to push Rebekah over the edge. And Elena was able to keep her promise of getting rid of Caroline, to Bonnie without getting her hands dirty.

Rebekah had wondered why they could not kill Bonnie as well, but Elena convinced her that Caroline was the logical first step as Bonnie had her powers to defend herself. And so Rebekah had attacked Caroline in her home with a dagger, with Elena playing as look out.

However, things had gone awry when Caroline's rent boy, Matt Donovan had shown up and Elena had been forced to pretend that she had come upon the situation by accident. But she knew that if given the chance and interrogated about the matter, that Rebekah would give away their plans. And so while Matt had attended to Caroline's wounds, Elena had wrestled the dagger away from Rebekah before the girl could say a word and killed her.

When the duke came to see what had happened to his daughter Matt had defended Elena claiming that Rebekah had gone mad and attacked Caroline and that Elena helped him save her life as that was exactly what Matt had thought he saw.

Elena almost felt bad about Rebekah's death, but this war in her mind and Rebekah was a mere casualty. She couldn't let her plans be discovered not before Stefan Salvatore was dead.

**:::**

Bonnie Salvatore kneeled over her husband's sleeping form with a dagger in hand, tears streaming down her face.

She didn't want to do it, didn't want to end his life but she saw no choice. His betrayal had been unforgiveable. She had lost so much. Her whole family was gone. She was a stranger in a strange land and would never see her home again. The one girl who she had called her friend had betrayed her and talked down of her. Stefan had been all that she had left. But she realized that she had never really had him.

If he would only tell the truth then she could spare him. If he gave her that much of her dignity back, if he would be honest with her then she would leave rather than take his life.

So she waited, waited for him to open his eyes and see her. There was shock there, and fear as he looked up at her but he didn't move to fight her as she had expected him to. She wasn't using her powers against him and so she knew that he could easily overpower her if he wanted to.

"Bonnie," Stefan said, calmly, "Put down the dagger. Whatever this is, whatever is wrong we can talk about it."

"The handkerchief," Bonnie said, "The one I gave to you. The one that represented our love. Where is it?"

"I'm sorry," he said, "It was foolish but I didn't think it would upset you. I let Damon borrow it."

"You're lying," Bonnie said, shaking her head, "Why would he need it?"

"He said that Elena wanted to copy the design," Stefan said, "Put down the dagger. We can ask him. He'll tell you. Just calm down."

"You keep lying to me," Bonnie sobbed, "I am your _wife_. I deserve the truth. No one deserves the truth from you more than me."

Stefan began to panic, his chest rising and falling rapidly. "I have given you the truth, _cara mia_," he said.

"Don't," Bonnie shook her, "You cannot say things to me like that. Not anymore. I saw her with the handkerchief. I saw her with it. I know about you and Caroline. I know that you love her. That you've always loved her. Even now you won't deny it. Even now your guilt is keeping you from wrestling this dagger from my hands, because you know that this is what you deserve."

Stefan shook his head. Stefan looked remorseful. He didn't know what was happening or how she had gotten to this place, this strange paranoia. This violence. But he blamed himself for it. He should have done more, kept her taken care of. Done more stave off her loneliness. "I will not fight this because I know that this isn't you," he said, "This is not the woman I fell in love with."

"And you are not the man I love, not now," Bonnie said, "You will pay for making me think that you were."

The first time she stabbed him, she hesitated as she rose the knife in the air and brought it back down. The second time was easier even as she sobbed so hard that he body began to shake. She left the anger at his betrayal guide her actions.

But then she stopped. The dagger falling from her hands and onto the bed, Stefan's blood staining their sheets. She threw herself onto his chest and sobbed as she clung to him, listening to the sound of his heart slowing. "I am so sorry," she whispered, "I do love you."

She did not notice when the door opened and Damon walked inside the room until she heard him scream. She looked sat up, Stefan's blood clinging to the side of her face as she watched his brother join them on the bed and take Stefan's face into his hands.

"What's happened here?" Damon demanded looking at her. Bonnie said nothing as she looked down at Stefan and Damon looked down as his brother as well. "Brother," he said, "Who has done this to you?"

Stefan coughed, blood coming out of the corners of his mouth. "No one but me, brother," he said, "Take care of my wife. Protect her."

Bonnie felt the urge to scream but she could only cry again. "Why Stefan?" she said, "Why must you make me believe you love me even now? Even after what I've done?"

"I love you," was the response he gave, "_Per favore ricordati di me."_

They watched him take his last breath a moment later and Damon turned on Bonnie. "You did this didn't you," he said, "Why?"

"You can stop the act," Bonnie said, "Elena told me everything. He's been in love with Caroline all along. He even gave her the handkerchief I gave him that belonged to my parents. It was the last thing I had of them and he gave it away like it was nothing."

Damon frowned his mind trying to work through the puzzle. "Elena asked me to get it from him so that she could copy the design," Damon said, "She wanted to make a duplicate to give to Caroline as a gift."

"What?" Bonnie asked, feeling her world crumble around her, "But she said that Caroline had always wanted him. That she had said those things at our wedding feast out of jealousy. I saw them together, more than once, alone. Elena showed me she…."

Damon felt sympathy for ever as he watched her realize what had happened. "She manipulated you," he said, "And me. But why?" Then he shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he said, "This isn't your fault. This wasn't your doing. I will defend you do father. Protect you like Stefan wanted."

Bonnie shook her head, her hand reaching once again for the dagger. "No," she said, "This is my doing. I allowed her to manipulate me. To take my insecurities and use them against me. Now Stefan…he loved me. Even to the very end he loved me. I don't want to live without him."

Before Damon could stop her, Bonnie plunged the dagger into her stomach.

**:::**

Damon Salvatore looked at his wife through the bars of the cell where they were keeping her. It had been two days since Stefan and Bonnie's joint funeral and his wife had not said a word. She would not even speak in her own defense when Damon had told the duke and his father of her role in Stefan's death. and Damon was more angered than this by her actions. If he had at least know the reason he would feel better about his role in it. But nearly everyone involved in the matter was dead. Caroline knew next to nothing, and so there was only Elena that had the true answers.

She was huddled in the corner of the cell, her dress in tatters and her eyes looking ahead unseeing.

"They buried my brother and his wife today," Damon said, hoping to get some kind of reaction, "Does that make you feel good? Do you get some sort of satisfaction from it? It was what you wanted was it not?"

Elena let out a shrill laugh, before she turned her head to look at him. "They buried the moor did they?" she smiled, "I destroyed her but she loved me in the end didn't she? I was her constant companion and she sought my advice in everything. It's funny how that works. He was her rise, but I was the fall. You wish me to show remorse perhaps but I only ever brought out what was already there. I did not create the jealousy or the bonds between the people involved that ended in their demise. It was them that killed themselves, in listening to the words that left my forked tongue."

"Why have you done this Elena?" Damon demanded.

Elena shook her head. "Demand me nothing," she said, "I owe you no answers. I know what I know. You know what you know. For this time forth I will never speak a word."

Giving up Damon moved to leave but stopped at the sight of something white in Elena's hands. Upon closer inspection he realized that it was the handkerchief she had had him coax away from Stefan, the very one that Bonnie had given to him as a sign of her love. He watched as she rubbed it across her face and then brought it to her lips.

Though she refused to speak, her actions told him everything that he needed to know.

*_** Italian Translations **_

_Come sei bella = How beautiful you are._

_il mio amore = my love_

_Senza di te non posso più vivere = I can't live without you._

_Sono tuo_. = _I'm yours. _

_Sei tutto per me. = You are everything to me._

_Ti amo=I love you._

_cara mia= my darling/my dear_

_Per favore ricordati di me.= Please remember me/think of me. _

_**End Notes: I wrote this in a couple of hours so sorry if it sucks. Okay so some critics claim that the motivation for Iago's actions is an underlying homosexual attraction to Othello, so if you read some undertones on Elena's part in terms of her relationship with Bonnie that is why. I actually used some Iago quotes and reversed the imagery from his scenes with Othello to fit the gender change but the subtext was still there. Lol. Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed it. Sorry that there was no happy ending for Stefonnie but is called a tragedy for a reason. Anyway tell me what you guys thought. **_


End file.
